Double-cylinder well drill



April 30, 1929.

M. HARDSOCG DOUBLE CYLINDER WELL DRILL Filed sept. 2a,v 1925 2sheets-sheet 1 April 30, 1929. M, HARDSOCG 1,710,925

DOUBLE CYLINDER WELL DRILL Filed Sept. 28, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 2Patented Apr. 30, 1929.

UNITED STATES MARTIN HARDSOCG, OF OTTUMWA, IOWA.

DOUBLE-CYLINDER WELL DRILL.

Application led September 28, 1923. Serial No. 665,308.

My invention relates to an improvement in well drills, particularly ofthe larger type, and has for a principal object the provision of adouble, or plural, cylinder drill, together with means for controllingthe operation thereof so that the drilling elements associated with eachcylinder are automatically and continuously operated with increasedcapacity and efliciency.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a double, orplural, cylinder drill in which the piston cylinders are enclosed withina main cylinder, which latter is divided into separate inlet and outletchambers, permitting the operating medium (preferably compressed air) tobe admitted through one chamber and exhausted through the other, itbeing thus unnecessary to exhaust against any pressure within the well.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent as it isbetter understood from the following description, which, taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings, discloses a preferredembodiment thereof.

Referring to the drawings,

Figure l is a. side elevation of a well drill in which my invention isembodied, the same being shown in position in a drill hole and partiallybroken away for convenience in illustration;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical section taken through the lower portionof the main cylinder and showing the piston cylinders vin section andside elevation, respectively;

Fig. 3 is a transverse section through the main cylinder, showing thepiston cylinders in plan;

Fig. 4 is a transverse section, taken substantially on the broken line4-4 in Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a bottom plan view; and

Fig. 6 is a partial vertical section, taken substantially on the line6*-6 in Fig. 2.

As thus illustrated, the drill comprises a main cylinder 2l, which iscomposed of upper and lower sections 22 and 23, the latter forming ahousing for two piston cylinders 24, in each of which is mounted anoperating piston 25 and a drill bit 26. which is disposed in a key-hole27 in the cylinder 24 and extends through a slot23 in a member 28',which is adapted to receive the impact of the piston 25.

The cylinder sections 22 and 23 are secured the side walls of the maincylinder,

together by means of connecting members, clearly illustrated in Fig. 2.A collar 29 is fitted upon a threaded lower portion. 31 of the cylinder22 and upon a threaded ortion 32 of a division member 33 above asioulder 34. Said member is apertured to permit the pistons 25 andcertain pipes, to be later described, to extend therethrough and has alower extension 35 fitting tightly within the cylinder section 23. Thepiston cylinders are enlarged at their lower ends, as indicated at 36,and a bottom filler 37, tightly positioned within the lower end of thecylinder section 23, closes the lower end of said cylinder section 23and holds the cylinders 24 in proper alignment.

For the operation of the drill, I provide an air inlet pipe 38,extending down through the cylinder section 22 and communicating with achamber 39 at one side of the piston cylinders 24. An air exhaust pipe4l leads to an exhaust chamber 42 at the opposite side of said pistoncylinders and it will be noted that said cylinders 24 are weldedtogether and to as indicated at 43 and 44, to provide a partitionbetween said chambers 39' and 42.

A pipe 45 leads to the bottom of the drill and is adapted to directwater or air to the bottom of the hole to carry the cuttings away fromthe drill bit.

The piston cylinders 24 are duplicates of each other in construction andoperation and a description of one of them will, therefore, suffice foran understanding of both. A port 46 is provided in the cylinder wall andopens into a chamber 47 through which the piston 25 extends. The air inthis chamber acts upon a shoulder 48 formed by a head 45) on the upperend of the piston 25 and servos to raise said piston within thecylinder. Ports 5l are provided in the wall of the piston 25 and whensaid piston is raised so that said ports are disposed within the chamber47, the air is admitted to the interior of the piston and, exhaustingthrough the open end thereof, acts upon a head or plug 52 threaded intothe upper end of the cylinder 24. This causes the downward stroke of thepiston 25, which strikes against the bit-carrying member 28, to operatethe bit or cutter 26. An exhaust port 53 is provided in the cylinderwall opposite a chamber 54 and when the ports 51 enter said chamber onthe downward stroke of the piston, the air obviously may exhaust throughthe ports 5l and 53 into the exhaust chamber 42, from which it 1s d1-rected to the top of t-he Wall through the pip'e 41. The incoming airthen again acts upon the shoulder 48 to impart another upward stroke tosaid piston 25 and the operation is repeated in accordance with thecycle just described.

It will be noted that the actuating air or fluid passes down through thepipe 38 and into the chamber 39, which is in constant communication Withthe two ports 46 of Jc he two cylinders and through these ports with'the chambers 47 thereof. Here the actuating fluid is confined while thechambers 47 enlarge through the raising of the strikers 25 until theports 51 permit the air to pass out of the chambers 47 and into thespaces above the striker. Here a second confinement occurs until thestriker is on the point of delivering its blow and the air is exhaustedfrom both cylinders into the chamber 42 at the side ot the cylindersopposite to that in which thc pipe 38 is delivering actuating fluid.From this point exhaust is opened upwardly through the pipe 41. It Willbe noted that the arrangement of the drawings, selected for the purposesof illustration, requires no synchronism or timing of action between theplungers, although such arrangement would in no sense depart from thespirit and scope of this invention.

It is thus possible to operate both pistons Within one main cylinder,With consequent 1pcrease in capacity and efficiency of the drill and theair is controlled and directed in such manner that the greatest possibleeffect is obtained therefrom.

It should be noted that access may be had to the interior of thecylinder 24 by removal ofthe plugs 52, which latter are flanged at thetop (as indicated at 55) and are provided with sockets 56 adapted toreceive the projections of a spanner wrench or the like. Recesses 57 areformed in the flanges 55 and when corresponding recesses of the adjacentplugs 52 are brought to opposed relationship (as shown in Fig. B) a pin58 may be inserted' therein to hold said plugs in fixed position withrespect to each other.

It is thought that the invention and many of its attendant advantageswill be understood from the foregoing description, and it will beapparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction andarrangement of the parts Without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe invention, or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the formhereinbefore described being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

I claim:

1. A Well drill, comprising a main cylinder, a plurality of pistoncylinders arranged within said main cylinder, an air controlled pistonin each of said iston cylinders, drilling means operable by saidpistons, and nicans for admitting air at one side of said pistoncylinders and exhausting it at the opposite side to cause automaticoperation of' the pistons the space at one side of said cylinders beingseparated from that at the other.

2. A well drill, comprising a main cylinder, a plurality of pistoncylinders arranged Within said main cylinder, an air controlled pistonin each of said piston cylinders, drilling means operable by saidpistons, and means for admitting air at one side of said pistoncylinders and exhausting it at the opposite side to cause automatic andcontinuous operation of the pistons the space at one side of saidcylinders being separated from that at the other.

3. A well drill, comprising a main cylinder, a plurality of smallercylinders Within said main cylinder, air operated drilling meansassociated with each of said smaller cylinders, means for admittingcompressed air to the interior of the main cylinder and to the smallercylinders for operating said drilling means, and separate means forexhausting said air, the space within said main cylinder being dividedto form a separate inlet chamber and an outlet chamber.

4. A Well drill, comprising a main cylinder, a plurality of smallercylinders within said main cylinder, and drilling means associated witheach of said smaller cylinders, each of said smaller cylinders beingprovided with inlet and outlet ports formed respectively at the oppositesides thereof and arranged to cause automatic operation of said drillingmeans, and the space Within said main cylinder being divided to provideseparate inlet and outlet chambers.

5. A well drill comprising a main cylinder, a plurality of smallercylinders within said main cylinder arranged substantially tangentexternally to each other and internally to said main cylinder to provideseparate chambers within said main cylinder, means for admittingcompressed air to one of said chambers, means for exhausting air fromthe other of said chambers, and pistons in each of said small cylindersarranged for actuation hy air from one of said chambers and to exhaustused air into :mother of said chambers.

(i. A well drill comprising a main cylinder,

a. plurality of smaller cylinders within saidmain cylinder arrangedsubstantially tangent externally to each other and internally to saidmain cylinder to provide separate chambers Within said main cylinder,means for admit-- ting compressed air to one of said chambers, means forexhausting air from the other of said chambers, and pistons in each ofsaid cylinders formed for direct control by air from one of saidchambers and to permit the lixhaust of used air into another of saidchamers.

llO

ISU

7. A Well drill, comprising, a 11min cylinder, a plurality of smallcylinders Within said main Cylinder arranged substantially tangentiallyexternally to each other and internally to said main cylinder to provideseparate chambers within said main cylinder, said Chambers beingConnectible to said smaller cylinders, means for admitting/ 1rcompressed air to one of said chambers, means for exhausting air fromthe other of said chambers, 1fnnd an air operated drilling meansassociated with eac-h of said smaller cylinders.

MARTIN HARDSOCG.

